Cadillac will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June with three Cadillac V-Series.R hybrid racecars supported by experienced championship-winning drivers and teams to challenge for the overall victory.
It is the second consecutive year that Cadillac Racing has received three invitations from event organizer Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) to compete in the classic endurance race. In 2023, Cadillac Racing’s first year of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar competition, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R earned a podium finish, with the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R finishing fourth at Circuit de la Sarthe. The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R placed 10th in class.
“We’re thrilled for Cadillac Racing to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with three cars competing for the overall win in the Hypercar class,” said John Roth, vice president, global Cadillac. “After scoring our first podium finish at this iconic endurance race in 2023, we look to build on that success and showcase the Cadillac V-Series.R’s technology, innovation and durability, while demonstrating the remarkable capabilities and determination of our race teams.”
Cadillac Racing’s stout roster features drivers who have secured five overall and class victories at Circuit de la Sarthe, 12 IndyCar championships and two IMSA prototype titles, among other motorsport accolades.
• The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R received an automatic entry based on its full-season participation in the WEC. Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Alex Palou will be the drivers.
• The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, where it races as the No. 01. Sébastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon will be the drivers.
• The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the GTP class, where it races as the No. 31. Reigning IMSA GTP champion Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken will be joined by a co-driver to be named in the future.
“We were excited to race in the 100th anniversary of Le Mans in 2023. To be on the podium in 2023 with a brand-new car, new team and new rules, was amazing,” said GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser. “In 2024, we’ll keep pushing forward, use the lessons from 2023 to make us stronger on the program and be ready to go against the best in the world at Le Mans.”
The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R placed third in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans on its way to four top-five finishes in its debut WEC season.
“We are all looking forward to Cadillac returning to Le Mans and challenging for the overall victory. It has been decades since an American manufacturer has achieved this and we will be strongly pushing to achieve our goal,” said Bamber, overall winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 and 2017.
Cadillac claimed every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP trophy in 2023, with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R earning driver/team season and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup titles. Cadillac won its fourth Manufacturer Championship and fifth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championship since entering prototype competition in 2017.
The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, with Derani, Aitken and Blomqvist sharing driving duties, kicked off 2024 IMSA GTP competition with a runner-up finish in the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. In March, the Action Express Racing-run car will aim to successfully defend its Twelve Hours of Sebring victory.
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